Socket having a locking tab with a gradually sloping camming surface



Jan. 13, 1953 H P DUPRE 2,625,578

SOCKET HAVING A LbcK'ING TAB mm A GRADUALLY SLOPING CAMMING SURFACE Filed Oct. 12, 1949 51. 22 20 5 24 m V I INVENTOR. Henry Peter Du re Ma MM ATTORNE Y Patented Jan. 13, 1953 SOCKET HAVING. A LOCKING TAB. vWITHAv GRADUALLY SLOPING CAMMING SURFACE Henry Peter Dupre, Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y

assignor to Burndy Engineering-Company, .Inc;,.. a corporation ofNew York:

Application October 12, 1949;seria1*No. 120;9o0:

2: Claims;

This invention relates to connectors and moreparticularly to a longitudinally displaced type of electrical connector that maybe used in associa.

tion with solder pads on relays or thelike.

It has been the custom in the construction of relays, telephone jacks and similar equipmentto provide a contact tip having anaperture at one end through which a bared end of a conductor is looped and soldered to make the electrical con-- nection. There are many disadvantages in the use of a soldered connection, involvingthe use of a soldering iron with possible damage tothe cable insulation and relay. Additionally-soldering requires an excessive amount of time for'making theinstallation, anddoes not afford a ready means for separating the, connection. The use of asolderless relay connector overcomes these disadvantages with an overall savings'in use.

It is therefore a primary object-of my invention to provide a solderless connector socket that can be used with the presently constructed and installed solder pads or like equipment without modification, and which may be quickly connected and separated and reused when necessary without special tools or destruction of the connection or parts thereof.

It is a further object of my invention to pro-v vide an electrical connector with a spring contact means and a spring locking means which insures an efficient electrical connection that cannot be disconnected accidently.

Another object of my invention is to provide in a separable electrical connectora positive locking means having a cam portion to. permit the connector members to be readily, joined and an interlocking portion which prevents separation until intentionally released.

Still further objects of my invention are to provide a connector which can be formed from a blank stamped from sheet metal; to provide a sheet metal blank having a plurality of integrally formed tabs which can be shaped into the compo-- nent portions of the socket connector half; to provide an integrally formed overlapping barrel portion which may be indented through the overlap to-the conductor inserted therein; to provide a stop means to limit the inward movement of a counter part portion of a connector and to prevent loosening of the connection; and to provide a connector having the above characteristics, of simple construction which lends itself to economical manufacture.

I accomplish these and other objects and obtain my new results as will be apparent from the device described in the following specifica- 2 tion, particularly pointed out in-the claims, and illustrated" in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is atop plan view of my novel assembledconnector'showinga portion of the solder pad.

Fig- 2 is aside elevation view of the-same;

Fig. 3-is atop plan view of the blank from. which the socket member of the connector iS'COI'li' structed.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation view of the-socket member only-taken along line 44 of Fi'g; 2.

Fig. 5' is a cross-sectional'view ofthesocket member only taken along line-E -BOf Fig; 2.

Fig; 6 is a cross-sectional View ofthesocket' memberonly taken along line 66 'of Fig. 2'.

Referring-tothe drawing reference numeral I0- indicates a longitudinally displaced type of elec-- trical connector comprising a plug member-ll and a socketmember 12.

The plug member II is a conventional solder pad used in relays, telephone-jacksand like-equipment havinga contact portion l3' with a recess or aperture M which heretofore has been utilized to contain the-bared end of 'a conductor not shown, for soldering to the 'pad; The contact tip of thesolder-pad' is in strip form and maybe constructedof sheet metal.

The socket member I2 is preferably made of thin spring tempered Phosphor bronze material having a'barrel portion l5and a contact portion It constructed, from asheet metal blank l T'as illustrated in Fig; 3; The'blank' l'lcomprises'a pluralityof tab portions; end-tabs I 8 and 1 9- con nected to 'intermediate'tab 2%) by a bridge portion 2i and end tabs 22and 23. Theend tabs iii-and l9 are of a width sufficient to enable them to overlap when forming the barrel l5. Intermediate tab 20 is formed with a skewed edge 24 with a pointed end25 for use as-acamming surface and locking means respectively, as will be hereinafter described. The tab 20' is spaced from the endtab 22by a re-entered section 26to' provide independent resiliency in the-respectivetabportions. Tab 23' hasa, narrow widthand extends substantially the lengthof thecontact'tportion 16;

To form thefinishedsocket member, thethin free ends of tabs I8" andl9 are rolled into an overlapping relation to form the barrel portion [5, as shown in Fig. 4 for receiving the bared end of conductor 21, which is indented to the barrel through the overlapped portions l8 and I9, by means of a special indenter making a plurality of small longitudinally and transversely spaced indentations 28 especially devised for indenting the overlapping ends of resilient metal. The tab portion is bent over, in the form of a loop, as shown in Fig. 6, with the skewed pointed end portion 24 in a position normal to the contact portion H5. The skewed portion is in a position normal to the contact position and spaced there from a distance less than the thickness of the plug blade and longitudinally aligned with a center line passing through the aperture l4 in the plug. The skewed portion forms a cam surface for the end of the plug as it is inserted into the socket member, the tab 20 being biased upwardly until the pointed end drop into the aperture M by the springiness of the material which presses and locks the plug to the socket member. Further inward movement of the plug end is prevented by abutment with a lip or stop 29 which is struck up from the surface of the bridge portion in the socket member. The lip 29 may be formed in the sheet metal blank during the stamping operation.

As the pointed end 25 snaps into aperture 14 of the plug the outer edge of the tab 20 abuts a portion of the forward wall of the aperture, as shown in Fig. 2, forming a stop. To withdraw the plug, the tab 20 may be pried upward by insertion of any sharp instrument within the loop portion to disengage the pointed end 25 from the aperture M.

The tab 22 is bent over to form a resilient leaf, the free end of which is spaced from the contact portion of the socket member less than the thickness of the plug blade, as shown in Fig. 5. The forward edge 3| of the tab 22 is rounded to facilitate entry of the plug blade. As the plug is inserted into the socket member, the resilient tab wipes along the plug blade firmly pressing the members together to insure an efficient electrical contact.

The tabs 20 and 22 cooperating with the tab 23, which is bent into a shoulder, forms the socket of the socket member and guides the plug member to the inward position where it is locked by the pointed end 25 of the tab 29.

I thus provide a longitudinally displaced type of electrical connector that can be mechanically attached to a solder pad without modification or to any plug member having an aperture or a recess at one end. By utilizing a resilient locking tab having a prong to engage the aperture or recess, I can prevent unintentional separation and obtain a positive mechanical connection. By providing a resilient contact tab, I can maintain the plug and socket connector members in firm electrical contact insuring an efiicient wiped connection supplemented by the resilient locking tab.

I can economically construct my connector from a metal blank stamped from sheet stock having all the component portions formed integrally. With my connector, a minimum of spacing between adjacent connectors in any installation can be maintained, as the connector is approximately the width of the conductor it is attached to and no lateral clearance is needed in making or breaking the connection.

I have thus described my invention, but I desire it understood that it is not confined to the particular forms or uses shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention, and, therefore, I claim broadly the right to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appended claims, and by means of which, objects of my invention are attained and new results accomplished, as it is obvious that the particular embodiments herein shown and described are only some of the many that can be employed to attain these objects and accomplish these results.

I claim:

1. A separable connector socket for accommodating a fiat solder pad member having an aperture at its free end for threadedly receiving a conductor intended to be soldered therein, said socket member having at one end a ferrule adapted to be connected to the bared end of a conductor, and at the other end a fiat contact surface to engage the solder pad member, a resilient locking tab mounted on one side of the socket member extending over and spaced from the contact surface a distance less than the thickness of the solder pad member and having a gradually sloping camming surface extending longitudinal and inwardly of the socket member terminating in a locking projection to engage the aperture of the solder pad to lock the members together, an upstanding shoulder extending from the opposite side of the socket member forming a socket substantially rectangular in cross-section with the fiat contact surface and the resilient tab, to prevent lateral displacement of the flat pad member, a resilient contact tab mounted on the socket member and provided with a camming surface, said contact tab extending over and at the end of the camming surface spaced from the contact face a distance less than the thickness of the solder pad member whereby the pad member will be pressed and locked in position by the socket member to obtain an efiicient electrical and mechanical connection without the use of solder.

2. The connector socket of claim 1, wherein the gradually sloping camming surface of the locking tab extends across said tab in a direction longitudinal of the socket member.

HENRY PETER DUPRE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,225,127 Heath May 8, 1917 1,482,888 Converse Feb. 5, 1924 1,995,115 Douglas Mar. 19, 1935 2,279,915 Cram Apr. 14, 1942 2,303,384 Penfold Dec. 1, 1942 2,318,647 White May 11, 1943 2,427,182 Bergan Sept. 9, 1947 2,451,800 Buchanan et a1. Oct. 19, 1948 

